Dr. Waleed Al Ali
Keynote title:
Secretary-General of The Digital School
Dr.Waleed Al-Ali is the Secretary-General of The Digital School, he is also a senior advisor at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, General Coordinator of Madrasa e-learning initiative & coordinator for Dubai Future Council for Humanitarian Aid. He brings wide experience in areas of strategic planning, digital and edu transformation. The Digital School, launched in 2020 under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has rapidly expanded its international footprint, reaching students in countries like Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Mauritania, and Colombia within its first year. By establishing 120 learning centers, training 500 teachers, and developing multilingual content, the school has effectively structured its growth to meet the unique needs of each community it serves. With a goal to enroll one million students within five years, The Digital School takes a phased, strategic approach, building strong partnerships with local governments and organizations to ensure sustainable impact. Each phase is carefully planned and executed, with a focus on resource optimization and timely implementation, enabling the school to adapt and scale in diverse regions. This approach positions The Digital School as a leader in the global push for educational equity, demonstrating how thoughtful planning and adaptability can drive transformative change in underserved communities worldwide.
Ahmed Ali Basioni
Keynote title:
Senior Vice President, Group Projects & Engineering, ADNOC
Ahmed Ali Basioni, – Senior Vice President ( SVP) – Group Projects & Engineering, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), is an expert in project management with over 25 years at ADNOC, excels in strategic leadership and technical proficiency within ADNOC Onshore, Upstream, and ADNOC Sour Gas. His oversight of complex, high-value projects has been crucial to ADNOC’s growth and major project deliveries. With dual qualifications Master’s degrees in Project Management and a PMP certification, Ahmed’s leadership has aligned project business cases with strategic objectives, managing major projects that enhance UAE’s oil production capacity, enhances operational excellence and drives significant financial and strategic advancements in the energy sector. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), established in 1971, is the state owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a leading entity in the global energy sector. Operating across the entire hydrocarbon value chain, ADNOC’s activities encompass exploration, production, storage, refining, trading, and the development of petrochemical products. The company produces approximately 4 million barrels of oil and 10.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Wagner
Keynote title: IPMA Research Insights: Advancing the Projectification of Society
IPMA Honorary Fellow, Deputy Head of the Doctoral Study Program in Project Management at the European University Alma Mater Europaea and Extraordinary Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa
Dr. Reinhard Wagner has been active for nearly 40 years in project-related leadership in such diverse sectors as Automotive, Engineering, and Consultancy, as well as various not-for-profit organizations. As Head of the Consulting Division and Member of the Executive Committee at Tiba Managementberatung GmbH, a leading Project Management Consultancy in Germany, he supports executives of industrial clients in transforming their companies towards a project-oriented, adaptive, and sustainably successful organization. Dr. Reinhard Wagner has published 42 books, several hundred articles, and blog posts in project, program, and project portfolio management. In more than 25 years of voluntary engagement, he served the German Project Management Association (GPM) and the International Project Management Association (IPMA) in various leadership roles, including but not limited to President and Chairman. He started the series of IPMA Research Conferences in 2013 and performed numerous research projects and studies for GPM and IPMA. Recently, he concluded the IPMA research project “Advancing Projectification of Society through the IPMA Member Associations.” Dr. Reinhard Wagner is Deputy Head of the Doctoral Study Program in Project Management at the European University Alma Mater Europaea and Extraordinary Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. His main subjects are Projectification, Project, Program, and Project Portfolio Management, together with Applied Artificial Intelligence.
Veljko Janjić
Keynote title: The Future of Construction Project Management: AI-powered Lean Planning, and openBIM-driven Execution
CEO & Co-Founder at BEXEL Manager
Veljko Janjic is an esteemed BIM expert and lecturer, and creator of the BEXEL Manager platform. He founded BEXEL motivated by the high-cost overruns, delays, and productivity issues of construction projects. Being a member of Stanford University’s CIFE Industry Advisory Board and Technical Advisory Committee since 2009, he believed that developing comprehensive BIM project management processes and state-of-the-art software for their implementation would be a solution. Veljko is a Steering Committee member of buildingSMART International Construction Domain and a Vice-Chair of the FIDIC EFCA BIM and Digitalization Committee, monitoring the developments in regulations, normalization like ISO and CEN, open BIM standards, software market, etc. He is also the President of BIM Serbia (buildingSMART Serbia Chapter) and one of the founding members of siBIM (buildingSMART Slovenia Chapter). He lectured at many high-profile professional conferences in the field of BIM and project management including multiple buildingSMART International Summits (Tokyo (2018), Dusseldorf (2019), Beijing (2019), online summits (2020, 2021), Montreal (2022), Rome (2023), Lillestrom (2023), Valencia (2024), Marrakesh (2024)). He has been a guest lecturer at a number of universities worldwide, at BIM A+ European Master in BIM, and also within the European Council of Engineers Chambers (ECEC). He maintains collaboration with academic institutions, educating companies and individuals regarding the benefits, potential and multiple ways BIM can be implemented and utilized.
Veljko has been co-author of the Strategic Plan for Digitalization of Construction in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia and was the official reviewer of BIM Guidelines within the Slovenian Chamber of Engineers. Also, he has been a co-author of a Booklet on ISO standard 19650 Information management using BIM published by EFCA.
Lorena Piñeiro
Keynote title: Educational Leadership in a Disruptive Era: Rethinking the Role of Universities
Vice-Rector for Academic Innovation at Universidad EAN in Bogotá, Colombia
Dr. Lorena Piñeiro is a transformative leader in higher education and academic innovation, currently serving as Vice-Rector for Academic Innovation at Universidad EAN in Bogotá, Colombia. She holds a PhD in Administration from Universidad de Celaya (Mexico), a Master’s in International Relations, and specialisations in International Business and Conflict Resolution.
With extensive experience in academic management, internationalisation, and strategic project development, Dr. Piñeiro has spearheaded partnerships between academia and the private sector. Her work focuses on integrating innovative educational models and advancing sustainable business practices.
A researcher recognised by Colciencias (Colombia’s Administrative Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation), she has published widely on business competitiveness, strategic leadership, and economic policy. Dr. Piñeiro is also a founding member of the RADAR Network, an initiative dedicated to enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of SMEs across Latin America.